Too School For Cool
by TJDavis
Summary: In which Blaze's attempt to start attending high school is is shoved violently off the rails by her dimension hopping and extremely disruptive band of friends. Technically a high school AU, but not really.
1. Chapter 1

Blaze was raised to handle a variety of obligations at once. The protection of the Sol Emeralds and the stability of the universe was one thing, but the more banal tasks had to be taken care of too. Paperwork. Meetings. And now, education.

Blaze's parents valued education and made it a priority, but up until recently she had been given private tutor after private tutor. That all changed when her worldview was expanded by a trip to another dimension and an encounter with a certain blue hedgehog. Books were wonderful, but the most valuable knowledge you could learn came from visiting other places and meeting other people.

And so she sat in a classroom now, listening to a lecture and taking notes. It was a classroom environment with real students that were her age. A private school, so the crowd wasn't as...rambunctious as her newfound friend group, but it was socializing! And education! What could go wrong.

It was about a month into her first semester and things were going so refreshingly boring that she was on cloud nine. She was around normal people who talked about menial things like their parents or music she didn't listen to. She even joined a book club. She didn't know other people her age read. Or at least she wouldn't know going off of the circus troupe her current friendship circle consisted of.

Of course all that would change one fateful day in her literature class. The first class of the morning and her favorite.

"We're just about to wrap up our look into _The Absolution._ " Ms Spoons,a chirpy hawk woman with a large pair of glasses and an eternal smile lectured her class. "The test is on monday and we've already wrapped up our discussion, so I figure we'll just-

"Hey, teach. Sorry to barge in but we got business." The voice shook Blaze out the half trance she went into when taking notes. She knew that twange anywhere. Flashes of an interdimensional adventure or two buzzed through her brain.

Sonic the Hedgehog walked into her classroom, plain as day. One month into the school year and things were getting weird again. He looked the same as ever. Same true blue fur with the same slightly worn pair of sneakers and the same infectious smile. Tails trailed behind him from the door, sheepishly waving.

Yes...and you are?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog. World's fastest hero..well, my world's fastest hero anyway. Not sure what the ranking is like over here." He scratched his forehead with a trademark grin. The he did the worst possible thing he could have done and pointed at Blaze in the back of the room. "For the record, she's not faster than me."

Some murmurs snaked through the classroom. Blaze pinched her forehead, letting out a long sigh.

"Is it true Blaze?" Ms. Spoons chirped from the front of the class. "Is this a...friend of yours?"

"Oh, come on. You didn't tell them about me?" Sonic laughed. Eyes went toward Blaze again. She should say something, she supposed.

"I…." She began, not sure where to begin explaining cross-dimensional friendships. Tails was wincing from his spot by the door, and a little bit of the weight came off her chest. Someone got what she was going through.

She blinked and Sonic was at her side, a shoulder on her arm. The move sent gasps and awe through the room and red to Blaze's cheeks as he got uncomfortably close. "She and I go way back."

Blaze finally decided to chime in. "We met last year, if that counts as way back."

"I heard about it." One of the students on the opposite end of the room chimed from his desk. A tall, generally quiet Koala boy. "You're the hero that helped nail that Pirate a while back. My dad's on the royal guard. He told me all about it."

"Is the little fox boy a friend of yours too?" A porcupine girl with thick glasses asked. "He's so cute!"

Tails turned red, unable to suppress a grin. It was indeed cute.

]Before Tails could respond Sonic zipped to the front of the room again, this time to a chorus of cheers."Ohoho, you guys don't even know half of it." He grinned from ear to ear, relishing the attention as he took a seat on the teacher's desk.

"Buckle up, cause I'm gonna tell you guys all about how I met her highness over here…." He glanced at Blaze. "And how we saved _your_ dimension _and_ mine _._ It's time for physics class or whatever…"

Tails elbowed him hard and gestured to Ms Spoons, who had pulled her chair back into a corner to observe. Sonic rubbed his spines, sheepishly asking. "As long as that's okay with you, teach."

She waved him off. "Oh, we were just going to do review today, but I think they can handle that on their own. Go ahead!"

Blaze nearly sunk into her seat. He was sitting on the teacher's desk, practically highjacking her class and all Ms Spoons could do was indulge him. She was charmed by him. He had a habit of doing that.

Blaze could just accept all of this as a weird monday morning if Sonic wasn't ruining the sense of normality she had built up around this school by telling everyone just how _abnormal_ everything about her actually was. They had hints, of course. Rumors of her dangerous childhood. Headlines about her taking down Pirate groups. The alternate dimensional travel was decided to be a royal family secret, but for as little time as she had known Sonic he didn't seem to be the respecting authority figures type, so so much for that.

"So I was doing my morning run around Spagonia Border..

"And then we ditched Marine and came back to our world and now we're back here because some NEW bad things are happening." Sonic finished his story, glancing around the room. "Any questions?"

"Yeah." A bunny girl with grey fur and earrings going all the way down her long ears raised her hand, and surprised Blaze by turning around to address here directly. Her tone was deadpan "You set a guy on fire?"

"A precautionary measure." Blaze clarified quickly. "He was in my way, and-uh…." She stopped, noticing the stares she was getting.

"He's really annoying if that helps, guys." Sonic chimed in, trying to change the subject. "I'm sure Blaze isn't gonna toast anybody's toes in here..I'd suggest the dudes in the room play nice with her though, as a "precautionary measure."

He winked, causing the class to erupt into a fit of giggles and Blaze to put her head down in the desk for what probably had to be the 8th time she had done it this class period.

"I couldn't help it!" Sonic shouted to her in the back of the room.

Ms spoons spoke up from her place in the corner. "Excuse me, I really liked your story and all...That raccoon friend of yours sounds so cute!" She exclaimed before continuing. "But if there's another crisis happening shouldn't you get a move on!"

"Oh yeah!" Sonic exclaimed. He was back to Blaze's side and grabbing her arm before he even finished his exclamation. "We've just gotten so _good_ at this that it's hard for me to panic."

Blaze had to do everything in her power to not blow his head off as they walked out of the room. Her classmates said bye to her and her new friend with enthusiasm, wishing them good luck. A chorus of girls said bye to Tails in particular, leaving him as red as Blaze was.

And so the classroom door closed with a click, and as soon as it shut Blaze turned to her with renewed aggression. "Okay, _both_ of our worlds better be about to _evaporate_ for what you just did."

"Not quite, but _you_ might be about to evaporate with the way you're steaming." Sonic remarked. "Literally."

"I understand Blaze..really." Tails said, expressing genuine sympathy. "But you don't want to make more of a scene."

A deep breath, and an exhale helped calm the fire in Blaze's mind. She sighed, pinching her forehead again. "Aright, what's the situation?"

"Oh, yeah." Sonic grinned. "There's no situation. We just wanted to hang out."

Blaze's jaw dropped. " _What?"_ Sonic always knew Blaze had fangs but they looked particularly threatening at this moment.

"Y-Yeah...we figured maybe a ditch day would be fun?"

Fried hedgehogs sounded pretty good right about now.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaze was,all of a sudden, glad she brought spare uniforms to school. She stepped out of the bathroom, her fur clean of Fire extinguisher fluid after a solid 20 minutes of chipping away at it. She found Sonic and Tails in the middle of the hall, Tails still toying with the fire extinguisher he sprayed her down with and Sonic leaning against the wall like a cool kid, kicking at nothing. She glanced past Sonic in a way that signalled that he was on ignore until further notice and looked at Tails. Tails winced, ready for his lecturing.

"Thank you for keeping the fire alarm from going off." Blaze stated calmly.

Tails released his stress, nodding and standing up from his position on the floor. "I was afraid you'd be mad."

"You are the least of my problems today." She clarified. "But you're still an accomplice.

"I can't really stop him when he wants to do something!" Tails stuttered. "I just come along to mitigate the damage, like Rhodey."

"I don't know what that is."

"I'm right here guys." Sonic spoke up.

"Anyway," Blaze continued, unfettered. "I'm gonna go back to class now."

She started walking down the hall before Sonic stepped in front of her. "Wait! Wouldn't it be embarrassing to just strut back inside like it was all for nothing?"

"I'll just tell them that an idiot lied to me." She pushed past him.

"Come on, Blaze." Sonic begged. "At least say hi to the others."

Blaze practically whipped around. "There's more of you?!"

"Well, yeah." Sonic said. "Amy wanted to come see you too, Knuckles just kind of follows us around when he's lonely, and Marine's how we knew where the school was."

Blaze's ears perked up noticeably at the mention of Marine "You pulled _Marine_ out of school so she can come help you pull me out of school?"

Sonic shrugged. "In my defense, she was already ditching when we found her."

" _Where are they?"_

"In the cafeteria." Sonic hesitated. "I think."

"You think."

He shrugged. "They said that's where they were goin'."

"And do they know where it is? This place is kind of a maze if you haven't noticed."

"They can find it!" Sonic hand waved her. "They're smart..Knuckles, Amy and..uh." It dawned on him who he was talking about. He rubbed a hand through his quills. "Maybe we should go find them."

"Yeah. _Maybe."_

Blaze took the lead, with Sonic and Tails trailing a safe distance behind her. "So, where's the cafeteria?"

"Doesn't matter because that's the _last_ place we're checking."

-

Sonic and Tails lagged behind Blaze as she led them around the school like reluctant dogs. Lockers and posters reminding students of events and welcoming them back surrounded them as they lurked the soon-to-be-full halls.

"I think this is the most pissed she's been since she tried to kill me." Sonic whispered, looking over to his twin tailed partner in crime.

"The sooner we clean up, the better then." Tails replied. He was mostly listening, but his attention was wavering as he took in the School in its entirety.

Sonic smirked. "You like it here?"

"I've always wanted to come to a school like this."

Sonic shrugged. "Glad someone's having fun today. School's never been my speed."

"Then you shouldn't have come." Blaze finally called out, breaking her silence.

Silence passed over the trio. The type of awkward silence that Blaze would have being the cause of if she wasn't so pissed.

Tails opened the month to comment, but something caught his eye. Sonic followed his eyes to a pair of double doors. "LIBRARY" in big bold letters sat above them. The glass window gave a clear view of the students inside.

"What do you say you scope the place out for us?" Sonic suggested. Tails turned to him, seeing his knowing grin.

"Is that okay with you?" Tails called out to the cat leading the expedition.

"You're not the one I have to worry about, so go ahead." Blaze replied coolly. The young fox didn't deserve that much of her wrath.

Tails scurried up before steadying himself and quietly opening the door. "We'll be back!" Sonic shouted in his direction and Tails, along with the Bear librarian who's desk sat by the entrance turned to glare.

"Library, right." Sonic whispered.

Sonic quickened his pace to keep pace with Blaze. " You know, I could have came at like, 3 or something. Waiting isn't really my style either, though." He laughed.

Blaze seemed determined to pay him no mind. He continued. "Seriously though. I really am glad to see you." He said, his voice softening and some genuineness slipping through.

Blaze felt a twinge in her chest. her cheeks warm up. Damn it.

"I'm happy to see you too." She admitted, seeing sonic's face light up an and clarify. "I wish I could be happier, though"

"I know I screwed up in the classroom. I could see it on your face."

"Then why did you keep going?"

Sonic grinned. "I don't really know how to stop talking. Guess I gave away like, a royal family secret or something?"

"It's not that." Blaze clarified before pausing. "I mean, you did do that." She said with a laugh. "Maybe tone it down on some of that too."

"What are they gonna do? Arrest me?"

"Yes." Blaze replied without missing a beat

"Been there done that." Sonic shrugged. "They couldn't even keep in there for more than a day. Can you believe it?" He laughed.

Blaze raised her eyebrows, but decided not to get too off subject. "That's...one story you'll have to tell me another time."

"I don't know if you noticed.." Blaze continued. "I don't really...fit in here."

"Really?" Sonic said, genuinely shocked. "This place is all quiet and boring. I thought that was your thing."

Blaze decided not to take the jab to heart continuing. "It's never really been my thing. It'd be nice...but I tend to attract things like you. Loud. Chaotic. Noisy. A little dense.."

"I get it. Yeesh." Sonic quickly stopped her. Blaze giggled.

"But seriously.." Blaze continued. "I'm a princess who fights pirates and evil scientists. My best friend is from another dimension. I light up." She sparked a fire in her hand as an example. "I'm like something out of a fantasy book."

"Sounds like a pretty rad book." Sonic replied. "Not gonna lie and say I'd read it, but y'know.

"I get tired of standing out." Blaze continued. "Of people being afraid of me. it's...lonely."

"Yeah, well fitting in is boring." Sonic countered. He grinned looking at her. "I'd rather stick out like a sore thumb any day."

"Easy for you to say. Everyone loves you for it." Blaze countered, effortlessly balancing the makeshift torch on her finger. "They've been afraid of this since I was born."

"I don't care what anyone thinks and neither should you."

"You absolutely care what they think. You live for it." Blaze seethed, irritation clear in her voice. "You _like_ attention. That's fine. Don't pretend like you don't after what you did in front of my whole class for attention."

A pause. Guilty as charged. Blaze held firm, but was cringing inwardly. One of her problems was how easily she lost patience with people and she just let it happen again.

"Look," Sonic began. Blaze felt her chest swell in anticipation of his response. "If it means that much to you..I'll keep it on the down low. No more crazy Sonic stuff."

More dead air.

"I didn't know it was bugging you that much. I'm sorry. Seriously."

Blaze finally spoke again. "it's fine. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just.." She pinched her forehead. "I don't-"

Their conversation was interrupted by a slam from down the hall and a chorus of screams.

"The gym!" Blaze called out. Knowing the source of the echoes. The two darted down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

The screams weren't out of terror, but sheer joy and laughter. A dodge ball game was going on.

On one side stood what appeared to be the entire class, a random assortment of mixed animals frantically giggling and chucking the red balls across the room to the far end.

A red blur was darting between balls and firing back into the crowd with ease. Maybe a little too much ease, Blaze noted mentally. It didn't seem like a fair fight, but not for the reasons you'd expect.

"Wait a second." Sonic shouted over the hijinks. "Knuckles?!"

Dread shot through Blaze. "He has super strength, right? We have to stop him before he-" Blaze _heard_ Sonic blast past her as a blue dot joined the red one in the fray.

"Hurts someone." Blaze finished with a growl as she darted after.

Sonic darted next to Knuckles and it seemed everyone had just accepted he was a part of the game now. Balls hurled toward him indiscriminately, but it was even more of a joke to him than it was to Knuckles.

He turned to his musclebound friend. "Long time no see!"

"It's been like an hour." Knuckles called before volleying another ball into the waiting crowd. It smacked into one of the kids in the front and bounced off harmlessly.

Blaze let out a sigh of relief from the sidelines. He was at least using a soft pitch.

"Hey, princess!" Sonic called out to her from the sidelines. "We could use some back up!"

"I always hated this game." Blaze called back. "I'll pass."

Sonic smirked. "Oh come on. Are you s-" His taunt was interrupted by a ball smacking him clean across the face before Blaze could be irritated. Cathartic.

"She can't help _you._ It's boys versus girls." A familiar voice shouted out. On the other side stood Amy, spinning a ball on her finger confidentally. Blaze hadn't caught her at first. A matching school uniform had her blend into the crowd with ease and her quills was tied up in a knot behind her haid.

Sonic's head poked up from off the floor. "In that case,"

Before Blaze could blink Sonic had picked her up and dropped her on the other side of the gym. Her yelp came out far too late.

"I hate when he does that." Blaze muttered, sitting up on the padded floor. She only got to enjoy her personal space for a moment before Amy was upon her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug that smelled of roses.

"I missed you, princess." Amy chirped in her ear. Blaze decided to be polite, wrapping an arm around her in return and waiting for her to let go. This was all way too much extroverting happening all at once, but at least she smelled nice.

"I..didn't take you for the physical education type." Blaze sheepishly said as Amy helped her off the floor.

"I'm _not."_ Amy replied. "Knuckles was just being a _bully_ and I wanted to even the odds."

"That sounds like Knuckles." Blaze agreed with a smirk.

"I'm right here!" Knuckles called from across the dividing line.

"Yes. You are."

Knuckles picked up a ball but Sonic put a hand up, stopping him mid chuck. "So, two on two it is, huh? Let's make this REALLY interesting."

"If me and red over here knock you both out, you have to ditch school with us." Sonic smirked.

"Hold on." Blaze said, catching the rest of the gym class staring at the spectacle. The last thing she wanted was another event. "I never said I was play-"

"If I win, you have to try that new ice cream place I keep talking about with me when we go back home!" Amy immediately chimed in, pointing at Sonic. Knuckles chuckled at Sonic's twisted expression.

"Aw, this again." Sonic sighed before gesturing to the whole gym. "I've got a single, pink, clingy hedgehog in need of a date here. Any takers?"

"That's not-" Amy began before huffing. Blaze glanced over at her and caught her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"It shouldn't matter if she wants if you're so sure your skills are sufficient, correct?" Blaze said, staring down Sonic. Her mean-streak started to override her common sense.

"Did you just…" Sonic turned to Knuckles with a bemused expression. "Did she just call me out?"

Knuckles looked back at him with no sarcasm and all confusion. "I don't know, did she?"

Sonic waved him off, picking up a ball. "You're ON."

The game quickly grew intense as Sonic and Blaze darted around their respective sides, picking up balls and chucking them blindly in the other's general direction at Sonic speed. Sonic was faster, but in a small space like this the difference was negligible.

Knuckles and Amy played a more standard game in the center, with Knuckles's unique curve balls and fast balls putting the pressure on Amy but never quite being able to nail her down. The pink hedgehog wasn't fast but she was plenty agile.

The normal kids were content to step to the side and let the super powered teens go at it, content to watch the free spectacle. Normally all the eyes would bother Blaze but she got so into giving Sonic what-for that she had forgotten. The screwball had sucked her into another mess so soon after apologizing and made a fool out of Amy to boot. He was getting it this time.

Or at least, that was what she thought, but the speed of the game was quickly turning the contest to a stalemate.

Blaze stopped, turning toward Amy. "I can't catch him!" She called out, turning back to the blue hedgehog just in time to see a dodge ball whizzing toward her. She dodged it cleanly. He wouldn't be catching her either as far as she was concerned.

"I _always_ catch him!" Amy replied. "Let's switch."

Blaze nodded, darting across the gym to pick up the ball and hurl it toward the much more stationary Knuckles. He yelped, just barely ducking his head.

Blaze tossed a few more his way to keep him occupied before checking on Amy, watching as she dodged Sonic's scattershot assault. He had the speed but not the aim.

A gap in his assault was all Amy needed to stop herself, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out. Blaze turned in time to catch Sonic darting back and forth while he searched for ammo.

"Don't just trail him.." Amy muttered, raising her arm to fire. Blaze's eyes lit up. Of course.

"Think about where he might _go!"_ Amy roared, firing the ball to meet Sonic at his destination: one of the few stray balls on that side.

Sonic was hit as he skidded to a stop, grabbing his chest dramatically and falling over. "Man down!" He yelped. "Mayday!"

Blaze turned to Amy, chest thudding with excitement. "That was awesome!" She shouted.

"I know. I'm pretty great, aren't I?" Amy chuckled.

But a stray ball broke the victory celebration, striking Amy in the head and sending her to the ground. Blaze turned, cursing under her breath.

Knuckles was still in the game. Blaze had neglected him, and it gave him the time he needed to amass the remaining balls on either side of him.

Knuckles let out some animistic howl resembling a war cry, scooping up balls and rapid firing across the court. Blaze didn't even have time to kick herself for neglecting him, going on the defensive and dodging every shot.

Knuckles threw with twice the accuracy as Sonic. Blaze could move fast enough to clear his shots every time, but there was no time or space to get her bearings. There was barely time to catch a breath as ball after ball whizzed by face and limb.

"Blaze!" Amy yelled out. "You gotta catch one!"

Blaze's eyes widened, the epiphany almost throwing her off focused as a Ball just barely scraped by her foot.

Knuckles heard it too, stopping his assault to reel his arm back and throw his fastest ball yet.

Blaze jumped, spinning through the air and and catching the ball in one fluid motion. She let the momentum carry itself around her and back into a toss, chucking the fastest ball yet from either side.

It tapped Knuckles on the nose before he could even react, knocking him to the floor.

The gym erupted in hoots and hollers, snapping Blaze out of her focus. All eyes were on her again, burning into her. This time, though it was in awe. Amazement. Admiration. It was...weird. A lot for Blaze to process.

Amy's tight, rose scented grip around her was a needed reprieve. She lifted the princess into the air, giving her something else to focus on.

"That was so _freaking…"_ Amy hoisted her up even higher, practically falling over in the process. " _You ROCK, Blaze."_

"Yeah, you're awesome." Sonic called out over the commotion. "GGs, but we got an actual man down over here!" He panicked, gesturing to Knuckles's sprawled out form on the ground. "You good, Knux?"  
"Can't pbeel my nose." He grunted out, voice stunted and nasally. Amy and Blaze looked at eachother, hardly able to contain their giggling fit.


End file.
